


The Boggart

by Yatorihell



Series: In The Darkness [26]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, ノラガミ | Noragami
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 16:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13104510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yatorihell/pseuds/Yatorihell
Summary: In the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year, Yukine and Hiyori face a Boggart. What are their true fears?Thank you Ina (leopah) for beta-ing me <3Accompanying art by Jo (http://eerna.tumblr.com/post/163342104397/a-hp-au-cuteness-commission-for-yatorihells)





	The Boggart

In the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class students had the following Monday – seeing as the classes been previously been cancelled due to Professor Daikoku’s illness – they were introduced to a more practical side of magic.

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom had been rid of its desks and chairs. Instead an old, mirrored wardrobe stood central at the far end of the room.

Yukine and the other students peered at it curiously. Wondering what they would be doing, the class leapt a few feet backwards when the wardrobe gave a sudden jolt and rocked dangerously on its stumpy legs.  

“There’s a boggart in there,” Professor Daikoku, having emerged on the short staircase that led to a private office, said.

He joined the class on the open floor, standing next to the wardrobe with his hands buried in his pockets. He observed the class with a strictness that had their complete attention.

“Who can tell me, what is a boggart?”

“It’s a shapeshifter,” Hiyori, who Yukine hadn’t seen enter the class, answered from his left. “It takes the shape of something that scares us.”

“Good.” Professor Daikoku gave a nod. He paced forward in front of the wardrobe which gave another rattle. “Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces like wardrobes. We’ll be practicing on this one.”

Yukine looked at Hiyori who caught his eye, giving him a small smile. _Something that scares us?_ He was afraid to think of what it would be.

Ignoring Yukine’s nervous shuffle, Professor Daikoku continued.

“The charm that repels a boggart is simple, but requires force of mind – the force to make it take on a form that you find amusing.”

He paced to the outskirts of the room to the left of the huddled class. “We will practice the charm without wands first. Now repeat after me, ‘ _Riddikulus’_!”

“ _Riddikulus_!” the class said in unison.

“Good,” Professor Daikoku nodded again, stepping into the centre of the room once more, “everyone form a line.”

There was a kerfuffle of feet shifting and creaking on the floorboards, hands pushing and shoving as students tried not to be the first to face the Boggart. In the end, Suzuha was first, followed by Hiyori and then Yukine, succeeded by the rest of the class who tried to get as far back as possible.

Professor Daikoku stood ready, motioning for Suzuha to draw his wand like his own which was pointed at the wardrobe’s brass doorknob.

“One, two,” he said in a low voice.

Suzuha glanced over his shoulder at Yukine who’s head peeked over Hiyori’s shoulder, giving him a confident grin and making Yukine turn a faint pink.

“Three!”

A shower of red sparks shot from the tip of Professor Daikoku’s wand and the wardrobe door burst open.

For a second nothing appeared. A long, thin stalk finally emerged from the darkness, harmless enough to make the class giggle, which was quickly replaced by shrieks when the Boggart erupted from the wardrobe.

The form the Boggart had chosen was immense, towering to the ceiling and nearly knocking the dragon’s skeleton from its mounting – a Triffid.

Its veiny roots dragged across the floor, thick body melding from pale white to blood orange, and then to a decaying brown at its petaled mouth. Protruding from the gaping petals was a whip-like stem that lashed the air, tongued with orange feelers that sensed the air around it before catching the scent of the boy in front of it.

“ _Riddikulus_!”

The next instance, the Triffid had vanished and in its place on the floor was a small flower balloon. The class erupted with laughter; Suzuha grinning with a bounce in his step as he made his way to the back of the room, winking at Yukine who was clapping so hard his hands hurt.

“Next!” Professor Daikoku shouted, a smile pulling his stoic expression apart.

Hiyori stepped forward, and there was a noise like a whip crack. The flower blossomed and tore itself apart, scattering into a horde of mice that scurried around Hiyori’s feet.

Her pierced shriek of the spell sent them rolling across the floor as hundreds of multi-coloured sweets, rolling under their feet before regrouping and bouncing back into the wardrobe, the door slamming shut as if the Boggart had thrown a tantrum over the lack of fear it had elicited from the howling group of students.

Hiyori grinned, skipping to the back of the room. Yukine, shoved forward by the now-impatient crowd, drew his wand and stared at the door.

Once more, Professor Daikoku’s wand erupted sparks that jolted the door and swung it open with a crash that threatened to tear them off their hinges. But only a pitch blackness greeted him.

Yukine’s hand faltered, wand dropped down in surprise that the boggart had seemingly vanished. He looked at Professor Daikoku who’s eyes had narrowed, fixated on the wardrobe with his jaw tightened.

Before he could ask ‘ _where is it?_ ’, a cold swept over him so piercing that he felt that ice water had been poured over him.

A noise, something like a muffled yell and slow, heavy footsteps filled his ears. Whether it was from the wardrobe or his own memory Yukine could not tell, but the instant he looked back he knew he was frozen, and that he could not stop what would happen next.

A black shadow emerged from the wardrobe, humanoid but shapeless in its cumbersome movements, reaching out to him in a way that was so familiar that he could not mistake it.

Time slowed when he felt the feeling of what would happen next, anticipating the harshness of the blow before a swish of fabric moved in front of him, protecting him, and a vibrating yell echoed in his ears.

Yukine felt weightless, the paralysing fear slipping out of him from his fingertips as Professor Daikoku stood in front of him with his arms spread, blocking him from the Boggart’s view.

Although he couldn’t see exactly what it had become, Yukine caught a glimpse of pale light washing over Professor Daikoku’s shoulders and the linings of a cloud drifting over his head that were dispelled by a loud pop that preceded his ‘ _Riddikulus!’_.

Turning on his heel, his eyes swept over Yukine solemnly before dismissing the class, which grumbled in dismay over not being given the chance to face the Boggart.

Suzuha and Hiyori pushed past the stream of people filtering out of the room. Yukine stumbled slightly as he made his way out, feigning a calmness so as not to worry them. Clearly it wasn't working: he was vaguely aware of Suzuha's hand lightly holding his forearm, the concern on his face matching Hiyori's.

“You ok?” she asked.

Yukine nodded automatically. He brushed the lingering feeling away, but not Suzuha’s hand which radiated through his black jumper and ushered him out of the class followed closely by Hiyori.  

Trotting down the spiral staircase from the tower, they found Yato standing against a pillar, hands shoved in his pockets and tie unknotted so that it hung like a limp snake around his neck.

“I’ll see you in class, yeah?” Suzuha asked. Since Defence Against the Dark Arts had ended early, Suzuha had made up his mind to go to the greenhouse, possibly to check for Triffids.

Suzuha gave Yukine a smile that had him flushing once more as he walked away.

Taking one look at Yukine’s expression, Yato cracked a grin. “Looks like someone put the Tongue-Tying curse on you.”

Hiyori bit back a smile when Yukine’s face turned a deeper shade of red.

“N-no!” he sputtered.

Yukine took a quick pace to get away from Yato’s teasing, but Yato rolled his head with a Cheshire-cat-like grin and easily caught up, him and Hiyori falling into pace either side of him.

“What _did_ you do, then?”

“We had a Boggart.”

The way Hiyori said it told him that class hadn’t gone exactly to plan, and Yato softened his teasing.

“Ah,” he said. Although Yukine seemed fine, he could guess what had happened. “Don’t worry about them!”

Yato playfully dropped his hand on Yukine’s head, ruffling his hair into an even more dishevelled state much to Yukine’s protests as he swiped and ducked out of reach, flattening his hair.

Hiyori laughed, hugging her books to her chest. Herbology would be next, something that might lift Yukine’s mood, and, hopefully, there would be no Triffids.

 

~

 

There were no Triffids in Herbology, but there was a particularly large Puffapod which sprouted seed pods which burst into bloom when touched. By the end of class, the floor was littered with egg-like plants.

Hiyori and Yukine bumped into Yato returning from the Groundskeeper’s, dusting his hands off on his trousers and leaving them smeared with brown. They fell into a pace together, winding through the cloisters of the west wing of the castle.

“Don’t you do that _after_ dinner?” Yukine asked reproachfully. It was hardly sanitary, even if he had time to go back to the dorms to clean up.

Yato shook his head. “Got Quidditch practice tonight, had to do it during class.”

The try-outs had taken place the previous weekend, and teams wasted no time in cramming in as much practice as they could, even if the first match wasn’t for a few months.

“You’re on the Quidditch team again, aren’t you?” Yato asked, more to Hiyori than Yukine, who was scanning over the herbology tome in his hands.

Hiyori hummed a yes. It was a miracle that she was. Even when the team said they should replace Hiyori altogether, Bishamon told them to stuff it.

“Wanna tell me all your tactics?” Yato grinned slyly.

Hiyori laughed. “No chance!”

Yato’s grin reduced to a contented smile, head cocking to the side as his hands dug in his pockets. “Wanna train with me again?”

Hiyori twinged in regret. She wanted to, but… “Bishamon’s got me signed up after school every day.”

“Weekends?” Yato suggested.

“Homework?” Hiyori pointed out.

“You don’t have to do homework -” Yato countered before he was cut off.

“Do I get an invitation or is this a date thing?” Yukine interrupted, looking a bit annoyed that he wasn’t being involved in these plans.

“Wouldn’t you rather train with your own team?” As an afterthought, Yato simpered, “or Suzuha?”

Yukine’s voice took on a haughty tone, book dropping to his side. “Wouldn’t _you_? Or would you just like to train with Hiyori?”

At this, Hiyori went pink. _What’s that supposed to mean?_ she thought, trying to play it off that the comment didn’t startle her, not that Yato noticed when his self-confident grin came back.

“I just like to annoy Bishamon by taking her away.”

 _Oh…_ she thought, crestfallen, before catching herself. Why did she feel disappointed?

Yukine sighed and rolled his eyes, but slowed when he saw what was in front of them.

“Hey, it’s that cat again…”

Hiyori and Yato both looked. Yukine crouched down, arms resting on his knees as he met the cat’s eyes.

Clicking his tongue, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together to entice the cat to come closer. It gave him a disgusted look, swishing its matted tail and sauntering away, rubbing itself against the corner of the wall before disappearing.

“Stupid cat,” Yato muttered. Cats were definitely not his favourite things, especially when they were strays.

“We need to use food next time,” Yukine said wistfully, “maybe give it a bath, if we can catch it…”

Yukine’s eyes flicked up at the notice of a quick figure coming towards him, taking him by surprise, but the sudden realisation that it was Hiyori – panting and her overladen satchel hitting her leg – made him double back in surprise.

Yato whirled around to find that she wasn’t on his left where she had been moments ago, turning just in time for her to be in front of him, fiddling with her shirt collar like nothing was amiss.

“How the hell did you get over there?” Yato sputtered, pointing at the distance where she had sprinted from.

“What do you mean?” she replied innocently. “I said I had to go back for my book.”

Hiyori patted her stuffed satchel. Yato and Yukine both looked at it, then each other, and then back at Hiyori who strode past them.

“Come on,” she called, “we’ll be late for dinner.”

 

~

 

Quidditch practice didn’t finish until the sky had turned a dusky blue, the remainders of sunlight skimming over the surface of the Great Lake as Yato trudged back to the castle. Seeing the Dementors hover so ominously close by had unnerved him, but he was determined not to let his training suffer.

The hearth of the Slytherin common room crackled, the familiar dark shadows cast over the ebony woods and green velvets on the various chaise lounges scattered amongst the low tables.

The straw of Yato’s Nimbus 2000 dragged on the flagstones, Yato not paying attention to its scratching as he set about tearing one of his glove straps open and trying to pull it off with his teeth.

“Have fun?”

The familiar voice in the deserted room caught Yato’s attention. After two years, he’d become used to their encounters taking place at night when there was no one else around.

Half-hidden by the heavy drapes that had been parted back to frame the window, Nora sat with her legs folded, bare feet grazing the floor from window perch. Her drawn shoulders were framed by pale light, but the rest of her was practically invisible from the way her body hugged the shadows – except her expression which showed the same intrigue of a snake smelling out a mouse.

Yato dropped his hand to his side. It was the first time he’d seen her since the previous Christmas – and he knew that she had something to do with Kuguha as she knew about the spiders.

“What are you doing, Nora?” he asked softly.

“Better things than associating myself with mudbloods and half-breeds.”

Yato was taken aback by her harsh answer. What was that expression in her eyes? The lilted smile she gave him at his reaction made him harden his expression. “Still jealous I have friends?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Nora said lazily. “I have a lot of friends.”

“Do they happen to be Dementors?”

 _If she knew about the Basilisk, then she might at least know why the Dementor attacked – or who sent it,_ Yato thought.

Nora cocked an eyebrow. “Scared of the Dementors?”

“Aren’t you?” Yato shot back.

Nora looked out of the window. Even if there were Dementors in their view, they would be all but invisible from the dark hues of navy which had stained the sky, stars beginning to prick dots of light into the night.

“They wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

Yato scowled. “What does that mean?”

Nora smirked, looking at Yato like she knew something that he didn’t. Perhaps she did.

“Haven’t you wondered _why_ the prisoner is coming here?”

Nora stood up, walking closer to Yato until she had to tilt her head to meet his eye. Her smile turned into an arrogant grin.

“She’s here for _you_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Me whilst writing about Boggarts: ‘Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces like wardrobes’… hey, Yukine must be a Boggart *badumtss*
> 
> I wonder what's happening between Yukine and Suzuha? And what's up with Nora? Why does Hiyori keep disappearing?
> 
> Merry Christmas!


End file.
